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Study finds wide gaps in participation in children's health insurance program across country

The hunt for the nearly 5 million uninsured U.S. children who are eligible for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program just got a road map.

8 Sep 2010

Immigrants to Canada and US have less access to health care than natives

In spite of Canada's universal medical coverage, immigrants to that country have less access to health care than native-born Canadians for certain procedures, a new study finds. In fact, immigrants have about the same access as immigrants to the United States who depend on private health insurance or Medicaid and who have less access than native-born Americans.

8 Sep 2010

Few health insurance options for people with pre-existing conditions

The Los Angeles Times: "For people with preexisting medical conditions, looking for health insurance in the private market may feel like the ultimate fool's errand. … When the health reform law takes full effect in 2014, insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage to people with preexisting medical conditions. In the meantime, new federally funded high-risk pools for the medically uninsurable have been established. To qualify, you have to be without insurance for six months.

8 Sep 2010

Small businesses continue to gauge health law implications

Some small business owners remain wary of a health law they do not yet clearly understand, The Kansas City Star reports. "Employers with 50 or more employees know this: The new law has employee coverage mandates looming for them in 2014. Employers with fewer than 50 employees will escape the coverage mandate. But they're not resting easy." Business expect costs to increase by between 6 and 40 percent in 2011, and many wonder whether they will be able to continue to afford subsidizing their employees' insurance coverage (Stafford, 9/6).

8 Sep 2010

Candidates focus on health care politics

As candidates ramped up campaigning over Labor Day weekend, news outlets examined the role of the new health law in the 2010 elections.

8 Sep 2010

Studies examine health care use, quality

The New York Times: A new study finds "that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for acute medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient's primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms. The authors of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, said it highlighted a significant question about the new federal health care law: can access to primary care be maintained.

8 Sep 2010

State Roundup: Some premiums soar in Washington State; Building boom for Denver hospitals; Looking for uninsured kids

The Seattle Times: "Whopping rate increases are coming soon for many people with individual health-insurance policies. Most insurers offering individual policies in the state have asked for and been granted rate increases, effective Oct. 1, according to the state's insurance commissioner. Regence BlueShield's rate increase — an average 16.5 percent — was one of the highest.

7 Sep 2010

OpEds: Health costs and new law; Penn. doctor supply; Anesthesiologists vs. nurses

Some sort of Medicare-for-all program remains the only equitable way that every American can be provided with adequate and affordable coverage. This wouldn't be socialized medicine and it wouldn't be state-run healthcare (David Lazarus, 9/7).

7 Sep 2010

Employees pay more for health insurance while wages remain stagnant

Despite growth in the economy, the economic climate for American workers hasn't improved much since last Labor Day, and they are significantly worse off on most measures than they were a decade ago, according to the third annual Labor Scorecard compiled by Rutgers' School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR). While August's unemployment rate was 9.6 percent, 0.1 percent lower than last August, the figure is about 2.5 times August 2000's 4.1 percent.

6 Sep 2010

Aetna to help members access care in storm-impacted areas

Aetna is making it easier for members who may be impacted by Hurricane Earl to refill prescriptions and access employee assistance and behavioral health programs. The company is monitoring the situation carefully, and will re-evaluate its medical and dental policies for members as necessary to help them access care in the storm-impacted areas along the East coast.

4 Sep 2010

Up to 5 million kids uninsured but eligible for government programs

As many as 5 million uninsured kids are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to a report published Friday in the journal Health Affairs, Reuters reports.

4 Sep 2010

Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge to enroll five million uninsured children in Medicaid, CHIP

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan today highlighted the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge to enroll five million children in Medicaid and CHIP within five years. Since Sebelius announced the Challenge last February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have built an unprecedented coalition of partners, ranging from state governors to national advocacy organizations, who have stepped up to the challenge to enroll kids and educate families.

4 Sep 2010

Myths, controversy surround health reform law

News outlets are following the politics and rhetoric surrounding the new health law.

4 Sep 2010

State News: Ohio, Florida take advantage of federal health funds; Mass. psychiatrists win court case

The Columbus Dispatch: "Gov. Ted Strickland's administration announced today that nearly $200 million in recently freed up state funds will go to Ohio hospitals, community mental health services, and a program which provides medication to low-income residents with HIV/AIDS. … The state money became available after Congress agreed to continue paying a higher share of the cost of state Medicaid programs that provide insurance coverage to the poor.

3 Sep 2010

Research Roundup: Heart disease and disability; Medicaid and health reform, mental illness

Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Health Status Of New Medicaid Enrollees Under Health Reform - Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, authors of this paper found "strong evidence that those who will enroll [in Medicaid after 2014] are likely to be healthier than nondisabled adults currently enrolled in Medicaid ... There is, however, a high likelihood of adverse selection - the least healthy and older among the new eligibles will be more likely to enroll.

3 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 3, 2010

Today's headlines contain reports on a new study showing that employers are shifting the increasing costs of premiums onto workers, efforts to get Congress to weigh in on the controversy about federal funding on stem cell research and the difficulty getting uninsured children enrolled in state Medicaid and CHIP programs.

3 Sep 2010

Report finds foreclosures harm people's health in California; Wash. small business health insurance program starts to sign up members

"A report released Wednesday found foreclosures have not only economic consequences, but create health problems for the people and families involved -- and those effects can ripple throughout a community. In a survey of nearly 400 residents in two Oakland neighborhoods particularly hard hit by the foreclosure crisis, the Alameda County Public Health Department and Causa Justa/Just Cause, a housing rights group, teamed up to look at how people undergoing foreclosure experience higher levels of stress and increased medical" (Colliver, 9/2).

3 Sep 2010

Education and prevention strategies vital in addressing breast cancer in Mexican-origin women

Specific prevention and education strategies are needed to address breast cancer in Mexican-origin women in this country, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which was published online in the journal Cancer.

3 Sep 2010

Study: Health law's tax credit for small business could affect millions

A new Commonwealth Fund report estimates that "about 16.6 million workers are employed by small businesses that are eligible for health insurance tax credits" under the new health law but only 3.4 million of them are at companies that will take advantage of the credits, The Washington Post reports, adding that those businesses already offer their employees health insurance.

3 Sep 2010

States and firms seek health reform funds while opposing law

News outlets are reporting that some states and businesses who oppose parts or all of the health reform law are applying for the financial relief it provides.

3 Sep 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Study finds wide gaps in participation in children's health insurance program across country

Immigrants to Canada and US have less access to health care than natives

Few health insurance options for people with pre-existing conditions

Small businesses continue to gauge health law implications

Candidates focus on health care politics

Studies examine health care use, quality

State Roundup: Some premiums soar in Washington State; Building boom for Denver hospitals; Looking for uninsured kids

OpEds: Health costs and new law; Penn. doctor supply; Anesthesiologists vs. nurses

Employees pay more for health insurance while wages remain stagnant

Aetna to help members access care in storm-impacted areas

Up to 5 million kids uninsured but eligible for government programs

Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge to enroll five million uninsured children in Medicaid, CHIP

Myths, controversy surround health reform law

State News: Ohio, Florida take advantage of federal health funds; Mass. psychiatrists win court case

Research Roundup: Heart disease and disability; Medicaid and health reform, mental illness

First Edition: September 3, 2010

Report finds foreclosures harm people's health in California; Wash. small business health insurance program starts to sign up members

Education and prevention strategies vital in addressing breast cancer in Mexican-origin women

Study: Health law's tax credit for small business could affect millions

States and firms seek health reform funds while opposing law

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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